The View From My Study – 13th January

If you are paraskavedekatriaphobic then today is not a good day. And I’m afraid there is another one this year in October. Friday 13th has long been considered unlucky but why?

It could be due to the number 12 being seen as the number for completeness (12 months of the year, 12 Gods of Olympus, 12 hours of the clock…) and so 13, naturally, does not fit in. Or perhaps it is because of Judas Iscariot who, supposedly, was the 13th guest to sit down at The Last Supper? Chaucer references Friday as being unlucky in the Canterbury Tales and many tall buildings in the western world do not have a 13th floor. In fact, Bilton Grange does not have a room 13!

Our beliefs and attitudes are often so deep-rooted that sometimes we don’t stop to think about our reasoning. What is interesting with superstition is that the belief can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Many people consider the day to be unlucky so their anxiety is heightened and they become distracted which can then lead to accidents which in turn reinforces the notion of bad luck.

All the more reason then to not be downbeat so early in the year. By thinking positively we can generate forward momentum so that things will go well if we believe they will. This is why we must all encourage our children to believe in themselves, to be confident, to be ambitious and to have a go. If they do, they will develop new skills and talents and further raise their aspirations.

So, come on 2023 – let’s have an adventure!

Happy New Year to you all. It has been lovely to see the children back and so keen to get going with their learning. Long may it continue. !

Gareth Jones, Headmaster